Peripheral arterial calcification

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular mortality of patients with combined peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) is twice as high as that in those with either disease alone. It is known that patients with PAD undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention have a higher incidence of adverse cardiac events such as myocardial infarction or target vessel revascularization. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we compared the detailed characteristics of culprit and nonculprit plaques between patients with and those without PAD using optical coherence tomography...

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the influence of the aortic bifurcation anatomy on the endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms using Excluder (W. L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, Ariz) bifurcated stent grafts. METHODS: This was a retrospective single-center study of patients treated with the Excluder stent graft. Analysis included anatomical factors of the aortic bifurcation (aortic bifurcation diameter [ABD], calcification, thrombus), characteristics of the stent graft limbs (sum of stent graft limbs diameters [SLD]), and the SLD/ABD ratio...

BACKGROUND: Vascular calcification is one of the risk factors for arterial stiffness in patients with chronic kidney disease. We hypothesized that a mismatch between elastic and muscular arteries, represented as pulse wave velocity (PWV) ratio, could depict the extent of vascular calcification in end-stage renal disease. We also aimed to compare the predictive PWV ratio value to other factors possibly related to vascular calcification in dialysis population. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, in 60 chronic dialysis patients without previous cerebrovascular events, cardiovascular disease and events or clinically evident peripheral artery disease (ankle-brachial index >0...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE; OMIM 264800, prevalence 1/25,000 to 1/50,000) is an autosomal recessive multisystem disease due to deficiency in ABCC6, an ATP-binding cassette, sub-family C transporter. The PXE phenotype is mainly characterized by progressive ectopic calcification of connective tissues (namely skin, retinal Bruch's membrane and peripheral arteries) but the impact of PXE on bone structure is currently unknown. The present study sought to investigate bone mineralization and its potential link with vascular calcification in a large cohort of PXE patients with inherited mutations of the ABCC6 gene...

BACKGROUND: Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), which is defined as the presence of an expanded somatic blood-cell clone in persons without other hematologic abnormalities, is common among older persons and is associated with an increased risk of hematologic cancer. We previously found preliminary evidence for an association between CHIP and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but the nature of this association was unclear. METHODS: We used whole-exome sequencing to detect the presence of CHIP in peripheral-blood cells and associated such presence with coronary heart disease using samples from four case-control studies that together enrolled 4726 participants with coronary heart disease and 3529 controls...

OBJECTIVES: Arterial stiffness is becoming a major global condition associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular problems and death. Several markers have been linked to arterial stiffness. METHODS: To determine and evaluate these relations, anthropometric parameters (weight, height, and pulse rate), biochemical profile, and central and peripheral indices of arterial function were measured in 114 Lebanese subjects with Grade I essential hypertension. RESULTS: Age was associated with a higher pulse wave velocity (p = ...

OBJECTIVE: Vascular calcifications are associated with nephrolithiasis. Although studies have demonstrated correlations with vascular disease and calcium stones in kidney stone formers (KSF), an etiologic link has remained elusive. As a noncontrast CT (NCCT) scan is typically part of a stone evaluation, our objective was to evaluate the association of NCCT-based assessment of abdominal aortic calcifications (AACs) with 24-hour urine parameters and stone composition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-seven KSF were included with CT imaging and 24-hour urine studies...

Objective: To analyze risk factors of anastomotic leakage after McKeown'sesophagectomy. Methods: The clinical data of 635 esophageal cancer patients, who underwent McKeown's esophagectomy at Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2012 to December 2015, were retrospectively analyzed. The risk factors of cervical anastomotic leakage were identified through analysis of medical history, surgical procedure, tumor characteristics and vascular calcification. Results: Among all the 635 patients, anastomotic leakage occurred in 111 (17...

INTRODUCTION: Epiaortic ultrasound scanning (EAS) extended the use of ultrasound to the intraoperative diagnosis of aortic pathology. Surgical palpation of the ascending aorta underestimates the presence and severity of atherosclerotic plaques. Epiaortic ultrasound scanning has been used as an adjunct to transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) or as a primary direct diagnostic tool for imaging the ascending aorta as well as the aortic arch, which gained prominence as part of a multipronged intraoperative strategy to reduce atherosclerotic emboli...

PURPOSE: To validate 3 angiographic scoring systems for peripheral artery calcification using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) as the gold standard. METHODS: The study employed preprocedure angiography and IVUS data from 47 patients (median age 72 years; 34 men) in the 55-patient JetStream G3 Calcium Study ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01273623) to validate the 3 angiographic scoring systems [Peripheral Academic Research Consortium (PARC), Peripheral Arterial Calcium Scoring System (PACSS), and the DEFINITIVE Ca(++) trial]...

OBJECTIVE: Preprocedural computed tomography angiography (CTA) assists in evaluating vascular morphology and disease distribution and in treatment planning for patients with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD). The aim of the study was to determine the predictive value of radiographic findings on CTA and technical success of endovascular revascularization of occlusions in the superficial femoral artery-popliteal (SFA-pop) region. METHODS: Medical records and available imaging studies were reviewed for patients undergoing endovascular intervention for PAD between January 2013 and December 2015 at a single academic institution...

BACKGROUND: Feasibility of transfemoral (TF) transcathteter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is limited by the smallest diameter, the calcification and tortuosity of the iliofemoral access vessels. The use of the Portico system without delivery sheath results in significantly lower profile delivery system compared to standard technique. We herein report our single center experience, feasibility and safety of such an approach. METHODS: The Portico valve was implanted sheathless in 81 high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis utilizing percutaneous femoral access...

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a genetic metabolic disease with autosomal recessive inheritance caused by mutations in the ABCC6 gene. The lack of functional ABCC6 protein leads to ectopic mineralization that is most apparent in the elastic tissues of the skin, eyes and blood vessels. The clinical prevalence of PXE has been estimated at between 1 per 100,000 and 1 per 25,000, with slight female predominance. The first clinical sign of PXE is almost always small yellow papules on the nape and sides of the neck and in flexural areas...

BACKGROUND: Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) may cause disabling claudication or critical limb ischemia. Multidetector computed tomography (CT) technology has evolved to the level of 256-slice CT scanners which has significantly improved the spatial and temporal resolution of the images. This has provided the capability of chasing the contrast bolus at a fast speed enabling angiographic imaging of long segments of the body. These images can be reconstructed in various planes and various modes for detailed analysis of the peripheral vascular diseases which helps in making treatment decision...

BACKGROUND: The Nexfin monitor is a device used for measuring arterial blood pressure (BP) continuously and noninvasively through finger-cuff technology. Since it was validated against the auscultatory method using a sphygmomanometer, the aim of this study was to test the ability of the Nexfin to evaluate brachial arterial pressure (BAP) in maintenance hemodialysis patients, quantifying accuracy and precision. METHODS: Forty hemodynamically stable hemodialysis patients underwent serial measurements of Nexfix arterial pressure (NAP) and BAP, respectively, through Nexfin and oscillometric devices...

Vascular segmentation plays an important role in the assessment of peripheral arterial disease. The segmentation is very challenging especially for arteries with severe stenosis or complete occlusion. We present a cascading algorithm for vascular centerline tree detection specializing in detecting centerlines in diseased peripheral arteries. It takes a three-dimensional computed tomography angiography (CTA) volume and returns a vascular centerline tree, which can be used for accelerating and facilitating the vascular segmentation...

AIM: to evaluate the role of clinical characteristics, functional markers of vasodilation, inflammatory response, and atherosclerosis in predicting wound healing in diabetic foot ulcer. METHODS: a cohort study (February - October 2010) was conducted from 40 subjects with acute diabetic foot ulcer at clinical ward of Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National Central General Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia. Each subject underwent at least two variable measurements, i.e. during inflammatory phase and proliferation phase...

BACKGROUND Basal ganglia calcification (BGC) is a rare sporadic or hereditary central nervous system (CNS) abnormality, characterized by symmetric or asymmetric calcification of the basal ganglia. CASE REPORT We report the case of a 65-year-old Gypsy female who was admitted for a tetanic seizure, and who had a history of polyneuropathy, restless-leg syndrome, retinopathy, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, osteoporosis with consecutive hyperkyphosis, cervicalgia, lumbalgia, struma nodosa requiring thyroidectomy and consecutive hypothyroidism, adipositas, resection of a vocal chord polyp, arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, atheromatosis of the aorta, peripheral artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, steatosis hepatis, mild renal insufficiency, long-term hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, impingement syndrome, spondylarthrosis of the lumbar spine, and hysterectomy...

The present study investigated cardiovascular calcification, peripheral bone mineral density (BMD), and lab indices in hypertensive patients aged 55-74 years without severe kidney dysfunction. Cardiovascular calcification was investigated by ultrasound examinations at eight sites: aortic valve, left and right common carotid artery, left and right carotid artery bifurcation, left and right internal carotid artery, and abdominal aorta. The presence/absence of calcification at each site was coded as 1/0, respectively, for the calculation of a cumulative score...

AIM: Patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) have a high prevalence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality; however, majority of patients with PAD are asymptomatic. This study aimed to histologically evaluate whether asymptomatic, lower extremity artery plaques are associated with systemic atherosclerosis and the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events using autopsy cases. METHODS: We histologically investigated the atherosclerotic plaques of the common iliac, common carotid, coronary, and renal arteries from 121 autopsy cases without symptoms of PAD (mean age:67...